Yarn twisting device



J D BUCHANAN YARN-TWISTING DEVICE Filed March 19, 1954 J. D. BUCHANA N,

IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEK United States PatentO 2,810,254 T'WISTI'NG "DEVICE J D'Buchanan, Burbank, Calif.

Application March 19, 1954', SerialNo. 417,349 6Claims. c1. si -77.33

The invention relates to a-yarn twisting device and more particularly toa selfthreading device for twisting yarnon itself to strengthen it.

At the present time, it is customary to use one large bank of spindlesand if the yarn breaks at any spindle in the bank it is necessary toshut down the whole bank in order to stop the operation so that theparticular broken yarn can be repaired by tying the loose ends together.

Heretofore it has been proposed to provide an individual yarn twistingdevice for each thread of yarn, but this form of device is expensive tomake and is not free from sharp corners.

An object of the present invention is to simplify and improve themanufacture of the yarn twisting element and more particularly to reducethe cost of manufacture and to provide rounded surfaces which thread theyarn into the device and guide the yarn in a tortuous path, to preventsnagging the yarn. 7

These objects are accomplished by providing a yarn twisting device someor all of the component parts of which are made of wire; In thepreferred form shown, the yarn twisting device is entirely composed of aunitary wire member which has a shape such that it will automaticallythread the yarn into the device as the device I is rotated and slideablyguide the yarn in a tortuous path so that the yarn is twisted on itselfas the yarn is pulled through it during rotation of the yarn twistingdevice.

The yarn twisting device is removably supported and rotated about itsaxisby engagement of the periphery of the yarn twisting device with adriving drum or pulley and idler pulleys. The particular drive and idlerroller arrangement shown forms no part of the present invention, exceptin combination with my improved yarn twisting element. 4

Each strand of yarn in passing from one spool to another is providedwith one of these yarn twisting devices. If a particular strand breaks,all spools remain in operation and the operator grabs, the loose ends ofthe broken strand, ties them together and passes the tied strand intothe yarn twisting device, with the knot at the leading end beyond thetwister, and the yarn twisting device by its own rotationthreads thestrand into it in 'a' tortuous path and proceeds to twist it as before.Hence it is not necessary to shut down a large bank of spools when aparticular strand breaks, as the self-threading feature makes itpossible to maintain all spools inoperation and repair the break in aparticular strand of yarn while its yarn twisting device is rotating.

For further details of the invention reference may be made to thedrawings wherein Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a yarn twisting deviceaccording to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view with parts broken away.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged perspective views of the yarn twistingelement showing initial, intermediate and complete threading engagementwith the yarn.

For convenience of illustration, the yarn twisting device 2,810,254Patented "Oct, '22,- 1 957 is shown on its side With-the yarnpassing'late'rally' through it although the yarn usually passes from anifipp'er supply spool'to a lower take-up spool, the leftsideof -thedevice shown in Fig. 2 being the top and the yarnlpassin'g-ifi thedirection indicated by the arrow, although the device willoperate in anyposition. The yarn twisting-'-elemerit itself is indicated at 2 and isshown with the yarn- 1 in; different positions in Fi'g's'. 3 to 5. i

The device 2 may be made of any suitable material, preferably steelwire, chrome plated, andgrolind en" a centerless grinder so that theeriphery of the device 2 lies on or is tangent to a c'y'l' dricalsurface, foreiigage ment with the cylindrieal surfaces of the driving 3and the idler rollers 4 and-'5. The idler roller 4-has 'a' cylindricalsurface '6 having a width about the same as the width ("or length i'nan" a'xiardireetion) of the device 2. Idler roller '5 has a cylindricalsurface 7 slightly wider than the devicez and having end flan e-s8 and 9which overlie a portion of the opposite ends of device 2' to prevent itfrom shifting endwise' while sup orting ief'or rotation about its'ownaxi's. The flanges 8 and 9 provide a groove 11 which fotatablysupports the yarntwisting element 2. The driving drum 3 has a pulley 1=0driven by abelt not shown.

The rollers '4 and 5 arsretatam manned a hollow casing 12 having atop 13anopen bottorn 19. The top 1 3 has a slot 14 which extends through thecasing'end 1 5-. The rollers 4 and Safe at opposite sides of slot 1 4and the yarn twisting device 2 is attheend of this slot, so that theyarn 1 can be passed into slot 14 to engage with the yarn twistingelement 2, i I

The pulley 10 with it's drum 3 is mounted on an arm having a spring 17which urges the drum 3' toward the rollers 4 and 5, to fri'c'tioflallyh'ol'd thedevice in the position shown. The spring 17 thus provides-aforce to hold the drum 3' against the device 2 which causes the lat terto rotate with the cam 3 The pulley r0 audits drum 3 can be manuallymoved away from rollers -4 and 5 againstthe action of spring 17 for adistance such to permit the device 2 to be removed from the groove 11,for insertion of removal of the device 2. The casing has a suitableflange 18 for attaching the device to a suit able support. I, I

As viewed from a position at the left of Fig; 2, the

drum 3 is rotated in a clockwise direction and hence the device 2rotates counterclockwise which is the same as in" Figs. 3 to 5 whereinthe device rotates counter-clockwise when viewed from a position at theleft of these figures.

"The device 2 is a unitary wife niemh'en-one end of this wire beingshown at 20, see Fig. 4, and the other end at 21, although these twoends may be soldered or welded together if so desired. 7 From theend'20, the wire has an arm 22 which extends somewhat in a radial directionto the axis of the device where it has a bend 2'3, substantially at'right angles and proceeding in a guide wire en tion 24 which extendsalong the art-is to theopposite or entrance end of the device where ithas a right angle berrd 25 Which provides a radial arm 26 the outer endof which has a bend 27 from which the wireroceeds in an end spiralportion zsror something less than the eirenmrerence, to a point 29,'see'Fig'. where'the wire has a reverse bend 30 which continues in aspiral 32 to the wire end 21;

The hend Z7 is spaced-train the feverse'='bei1d3ii-td pro vide anentrance 31 for the yarn 1.

Assuming that the yarn 1 has broken, the loose ends are tied togetherwith the knot at some position not shown in the leading portion 33 ofthe yarn so that the knot does not have to pass through the device 2.The lagging yarn portion 34 is held in one hand, the leading portion 33in the other, with the yarn under tension, and the yarn is passed intothe slot 14 against device 2 and held at a a an angle such as shown atthe lagging portion 34 in Fig. 3 so that the end spiral portion 28slides under the yarn portion 34 until the bend 27 is reached, whereuponthe yarn will pass under the reverse bend 30, which acts somewhat as ahook, and into the entrance 31, while, the device 2 is rotating at highspeed. The leading portion 33 in passing beyond the bend enters thespace between adjoining turns 37, 38 of the spiral 32 and as the device2 rotates itthreads itself around the yarn until the leading portion 33leaves the end of the spiral 32 as shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 3 shows theyarn just after it has entered the entrance 31 while Fig. 4 shows theyarn at a later time while its leading end 33 is approaching the. end ofthe spiral 32, while Fig. 5 shows theleading end 33 after it has passedbeyond the exit end of the spiral 32. In passing beyond the exit end 35the yarn slides along the arm 22 to approach a position at the inner endof arm 22 around the guide wire portion 24, the yarn being supported byspools not shown for entrance into andexit from the device 2 through itsinterior and generally speaking along its axis. At the entrance end ofdevice 2, when the yarn 1 enters the device as above described, the arm26 at the entrance end rotates counter-counterclockwise from theposition shown in Fig. 3 where it is ahead of yarn 34 to the positionshown in Figs. 4 and 5 where the arm 26 is at the opposite side of orbehindthe yarn 34 in a rotational direction The yarn in passing throughthe spiral 32 assumes a twist around the guide wire portion 24, the yarnbeing unable to untwist around the wire portion 24 because when thethreading is completed as shown in Fig. 5, the arm 26 is at the laggingside of the yarn portion 34 while the yarn is at the opposite side ofthe arm 22. The amount of the twist in the yarn around the guide wireportion 24 depends upon the length of the spiral 32 and can be madegreater or less than the amount shown. In any event, if a differentlength is chosen with the wire ends 20 and 21 being arranged as shown inFig. 4, then if the spiral 32 is to be shorter, the arm 22 will extendat some different angle, to meet the end of the spiral 32. The leadingend 33 of the yarn is thus twisted on itself as the yarn is pulledthrough the twisting device 2 while the latter is rotating.

Various other modifications may be made in the invention withoutdeparting from the spirit of the following claims. For example, Figs. 1and 2 show the device in full size, although other sizes may beemployed. Also other metals or materials may be employed for the twisting device 2 and as the end portions 20 and 21 are brought together tomake in effect an endless wire device, these wire ends may be arrangedat some other position in the device.

I claim:

-1. A yarn twisting device comprising a unitary wire rotor, the wire ofsaid rotor comprising a helical coil having spaced turns providing aspiral threading path for the yarn, said wire having a reversely bentportion defining one side of a yarn entrance to said path at one end ofsaid rotor, said wire having an end turn having a transversely inwardlyextending portion defining the other side of said entrance, alongitudinal yarn guide wire portion extending inside of said coil as acontinuation of the inner end of said transversely extending portion,and another transversely extending portion at the other end of saidlongitudinal guide wire portion and intercepting the yarn path aroundsaid guide wire portion at the exit of said path.

2. A yarn twisting deviceaccording to claim 1, said guide wire portionslidably supporting the yarn in a convolution and said transverselyextending portions having an angular separation determining the extentof such eonvolution and maintaining such convolution as the yarn slidesalong said guide wire portion.

3. A yarn twisting device comprising a coil of wire having spaced turnsdefining a spiral threading path for a yarn, said coil having a guidestem and means for maintaining the yarn wrapped around said stem, saidturns having an outer periphery which lies substantially on acylindrical surface, and a driving drum having a cylindrical surfaceengageable with the periphery of said turns for rotating said yarntwisting device.

4. A yarn twisting device comprising a unitary wire rotor, the wire ofsaid rotor comprising a helical coil having spaced turns providing aspiral threading path for a yarn, said wire having a reversely bentportion defining one side of the yarn entrance to said path at one endof said rotor, said wire having an end turn having a transverselyinwardly extending portion defining the other side of said entrance, alongitudinal yarn guide wire portion extending inside of said coil as acontinuation of the inner end of said transversely extending portion andanother transversely extending portion at the other end of saidlongitudinal guide wire portion andintercepting the yarn path aroundsaid guide wire portion at the exit of said path, said guide wireportion comprising means slideably supporting the yarn in a convolutionand said transversely extending portions having anangular separationdetermining the extent of such convolution and comprising means formaintaining such convolution as the yarn slides along said guide wireportion, said turns having an outer periphery which lies substantiallyon a cylindrical surface, and a driving drum engageable therewith.

5. A yarn twisting device comprising an inner longitudinally extendingguide stem for the yarn, means providing a spiral threading pathsurrounding said guide stem to lead the yarn in a convolution aroundsaid stem, and a transverse arm at each end of said stem to maintainsaid convolution, said guide stem, said means and said arms each havinga convex yarn engaging surface in the path of the yarn.

6. A yarn twisting device comprising a rotor having a guidewire forslidably supporting the yarn in a convolution, the opposite ends of saidguide wire each having a laterally extending wire portion at oppositeends of said rotor, said laterally extending wire portions beingengageable with the yarn to maintain a convolution therein around saidguide wire, and means providing a selfthreading spiral path surroundingsaid guide wire and open at opposite ends of said rotor for leading theyarn to said guide wire, said spiral path means lying on a cylindricalsurface substantially coaxial with the rotary axis of said rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS128,418 Nutting June 25, 1872 1,598,373 Hemsley Aug. 31, 1926 FOREIGNPATENTS 2,518 Great Britain of 1854 2,681. Great Britain of 1870 15,839Great Britain of 1912 298,505 France Mar. 23, 1900

